Ursa Major
by Lachesis
Summary: A quiet night and a search for constellations give Kagome and Inuyasha a little quiet time.


Kagome sighed and got up from her sleeping bag. She'd been lying there for an hour, and her mind just wouldn't shut up. There had been too much going on lately, and she wasn't sure where she fit in. She tucked the sleeping bag around Shippou and looked to make sure she hadn't disturbed the others. Sango and Miroku were still sound asleep, although from their nearness to each other, Kagome wondered what Sango would do if she woke up first. Inuyasha was no where to be seen, but then, that was pretty normal.

The camp was in a small clearing, just before the forest ended overlooking a rolling hill. So, Kagome picked up her school bag and headed for the edge of the forest. _'If I can't get any sleep, the least I can get is caught up on my school work.'_ She sat down, and pulled out a notebook that had xeroxed pages inside. With her flashlight, she started trying to compare the pictures on the page to the stars in the sky.

__

'I swear that woman has no sense of self-preservation,' Inuyasha thought angrily and jumped out of the trees. He walked over and sat down next to Kagome. "What are you doing up so late?" His voice was gruff, but then it always was when he was trying not to care about her. "Don't you know that you're perfect bait for any animal out hunting?" 

Kagome didn't even look up at him, she was so intent on the pages. "You'd protect me," she said absently, glaring at the pictures on the page. "You're here, aren't you?"

Inuyasha sighed. "You take it for granted that I notice you," he said wearily and so softly that she might not have even heard him, but didn't disagree with her. He pulled the notebook from her lap. "What is this crap anyway?"

"Oh, don't tear it," gasped Kagome. "It's for school." She had to giggle though, as Inuyasha turned the page this way and that trying to make sense of it. 

"Why can't I read it?" he pouted, especially after noticing her giggling at him.

Kagome took the notebook back and laid it in her lap again. "Its in English. Even I'm still learning English," she smiled at Inuyasha, trying to relay a sense of comfort to him. 

Inuyasha glared a moment longer, then turned his attention to the sheet in her lap. "So, what does the picture represent? Its not all words," he asked, truly curious what Kagome could be doing this late at night for school.

Pointing at a set of dots with lines between them, Kagome started her explanation. "This is a constellation, a group of stars that have been assigned a meaning," Kagome gestured to the sky above her and paused for a moment. Inuyasha waited patiently, knowing she wasn't done talking yet. "As part of my English class, the teacher thought it would be fun for us to learn the stories behind the foreign constellations. And, he gave us maps so we could find the stars ourselves at night." Another pause, as she glared at the sheet again. "I thought it would be easier in this time without any city lights, but I'm not having any luck at all." 

Inuyasha nodded and glanced between the sheet and the sky. "What one will be easiest to find?" His voice changed from the gruff concern he was showing earlier to genuine curiosity. This was something he could help her with, and it was actually more interesting than other ways to pass the night. _'Oh yeah, and spending time with Kagome isn't part of it?'_ the voice in his head asked him. _'Shh… not tonight, I'm helping, so I don't need you to tell me what I'm doing wrong.' _He shook his head slightly to turn off his inner voices that taunted him, and turned to give Kagome and her stars his full attention. 

Kagome was a little bit surprised by his insistence that he could help. '_Yeah, but you need all the help you can get, you're so far behind,'_ her inner voice taunted her. _'Relax, and enjoy it.'_ She smiled again at Inuyasha, and this time it was a warm smile. She felt her heart beat slightly faster, but opted to ignore it. "I think the Great Bear will be easiest," she motioned to a constellation that had a scoop in the middle. "The brightest star in the sky should be easiest to find," with a sigh she looked at the stars, which were all very bright. "Or at least that's what I thought," she added quietly.

Inuyasha intently examined the constellation she was pointing at. "OK, I think I know what I'm looking for," he said, and then laid back on the grass of the hill. He put his hands behind his head, and carefully started examining the sky.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelped. "I thought you were going to help, not sleep."

"I'm not asleep, wench. Its easier to look at the stars this way," he said, without shifting his eyes to even look at her. 

Kagome sighed, and leaned back on the grass. '_Maybe he's right. Just don't think about laying next to him in the grass.'_ Her heart started beating fast again, and the stars were the last thing her mind was on, as she was aware of him laying next to her, and his calm breathing. And his bright eyes fascinated by the sky above. _'As tough as he acts, he's doesn't act that much older than me,'_ Kagome thought. _'Maybe, just maybe… Oh, stop it. Look at the stars and do your homework.'_ Kagome sighed again.

At the same time, Inuyasha was staring at the sky, trying to pick out the stars Kagome was set on finding. He was aware of her shifting and her sighing. _'You're the one making her so uncomfortable. She just can't concentrate with someone who always makes her cry sitting next to her. Maybe you should go and leave her alone. She'd be better off without you, anyway.' _He toned the voice out and looked at the stars intently. They never talked to him the way his own inner voices did. He never had to justify himself to them. 

Kagome started talking again. "Any luck?"

"Woman, give me time," Inuyasha smirked. "I'm just looking at the sky now. I haven't even started looking for your stars."

"What?" Kagome yelped. "I thought you said you were going to be helping me?"

"Of course I'm helping," Inuyasha said. "I just wanted a minute to look at the sky first." His voice was quiet, and childlike, and Kagome couldn't keep the anger or frustration she had when he started bothering her. 

She grinned faintly, "With my luck, you'll find it before I will. I mean, you spend every night staring at the stars, you probably have them all memorized." 

Inuyasha chuckled quietly and whispered sadly, "No, not quite memorized." He changed the tone of his voice and the topic. "So, what's this about a story to go with the group of stars, woman? I only agreed to help because I was promised a story." He intentionally put a whine into his voice, and risked a glance at Kagome to see if she smiled. 

She did, and Inuyasha was relieved that she wouldn't be asking him anything else. "So, you want to hear the story?" She sat up, and grabbed her notebook, so she could reference the names. 

"Ok, this starts in the time of the gods of Olympus. There was a mountain that overlooked the land, that the gods lived on and from time to time they would come down and interact with the humans there." Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, to see if he was paying attention. Although he didn't seem to be looking at her, he noticed the pause and turned his eyes to look at her. She continued quickly, and he turned his glance back to the stars. "One of these humans was named Callisto. She was a huntress who followed the goddess Diana."

Inuyasha interrupted this time, "So, she was like Sango, and more of a fighter than a woman?" He was on his side now, watching Kagome intently.

Flustered, Kagome nodded. "Yes, that's right. A fighter. And a good one. One day when she was out hunting, she attracted the attention of Jupiter, the god who was over the other gods. He wanted her so badly, he took her there and there on the field against her will." Kagome glanced down at the notebook while Inuyasha growled slightly. "And, being that he was a god, she gave birth to his child and named him Arcas. Callisto was now on her own to raise the god's child."

Growling erupted from Inuyasha's chest. "He just left her there with child? How irresponsible for a god. Even a demon knows not to abandon their young." He glared at the stars, like they were personally responsible for this story.

Kagome giggled, and continued quickly, "Oh, it gets worse. Jupiter's wife found out about the infidelity, and turned Callisto into a bear, to roam the countryside. Fortunately, Callisto's village took in Arcas, and raised him to be a hunter like they were." Inuyasha made a face at the whole situation, and Kagome continued before he could argue. "As a powerful hunter, Arcas was out one day and came upon a bear. He was going to shoot the bear with his arrow, and Jupiter stepped down to stop him. The bear was Callisto, of course." 

"Of course, surely Jupiter did not think that his karma wouldn't be punished for that?" Inuyasha interrupted, pleased that Jupiter would now have to take responsibility for something he should have avoided to begin with. 

"Well, Jupiter doesn't exactly have karma. I'm not sure how their whole system works, but the gods seem to be pretty much free to do what they want with mortals." Kagome thought about everything she'd learned in English class so far, and actually realized she agreed that the demons in this time were more humane then the legends of Europe. 

"No karma? What kind of a system is that?" Inuyasha puzzled. "Being a god doesn't mean you get to ignore the people below you."

"Ok, Inuyasha, do you want to argue ethics, or hear how the story ends and why it relates to the stars we're looking for?" Kagome asked, knowing she was in for a long discussion if Inuyasha picked the first choice. 

"Fine," Inuyasha said, dropping back down to his reclining position on the hill. "How does it end?"

"Jupiter steps down, and rather than letting Arcas kill Callisto, he turns them both into stars and puts them into the sky. The Great Bear is Callisto, and behind her, always chasing her is the Little Bear." Kagome sighed and pushed the notebook away and laid back down on the grass. "Supposedly, if we can find the Great Bear, there should be a similar constellation nearby."

Inuyasha grinned and spoke again, "So, you haven't found the constellation yet?"

"No, Inuyasha, I was telling you a story, not looking at the stars," Kagome answered, suddenly tired and ready for sleep. "Did you find it?"

"Of course, woman. It wasn't that hard. You're looking in the wrong direction," he announced proudly, and rolled to his side again, facing her. "This way is north, and you said the brightest star was the Star of the North. That means you should look north."

Kagome turned on her side, so that Inuyasha was behind her and she was staring at the sky to the north. "Ok, now where is it?" 

Inuyasha shifted slightly closer to her, and they both were aware of the nearness. But, he didn't try to touch her. He raised his hand and pointed past her. "Right there. Can you see it?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. 

"No," Kagome whispered back, barely able to concentrate on speech. "Where is it?" 

Moving even closer, so he was pressed against her back, Inuyasha put his head right next to hers, and grasped her hand in his own. He ignored his pounding heart and her gasping breath, and used their paired hand to point at the constellation. "There's the bright star, and the other stars move down and around." 

Kagome was about to faint. His cheek was pressed against hers, and she could feel his chest rumble against her back when he talked. But, he wouldn't leave her in silence, or let her try to gain control of herself before he spoke again. "Can you see it, Kagome?" 

"Yes," she breathed out, seeing the constellation finally, and managing to focus on it. "I see it."

Inuyasha let her hand drop, and put his hand lightly on her hip. _'You shouldn't be so familiar with her. She's just going to hurt you. How could she possibly love a half breed?'_ Inuyasha didn't even try to make the voices shut up this time. He just lost himself in Kagome's smell and her now steady breathing. 

Kagome herself was shocked at Inuyasha's nearness. _'He hasn't pulled away yet. I wonder if he's thinking about you like that, or if he's just unaware of what he's doing. I should go, so I don't have to try and figure him out. This is really comfortable though. Just a little bit cool.'_ "I'm cold," Kagome finally said, letting her train of thought verbalize the safe emotions. 

Resisting the urge to pull her closer to him, Inuyasha stood up and pulled Kagome to her feet. "Come on, woman, I'll walk you back to camp. Your sleeping bag should still be out." He put one arm around her shoulders, and guided her carefully around the trees and back to camp. After pulling back the sleeping bag and nudging Shippou out of the way, Inuyasha carefully put Kagome to bed and tucked her in. "There, now you'll be warm." He looked around the camp, to make sure he didn't wake anyone else up. 

Everything was silent, and with a quick nod he jumped into the tree nearest to Kagome and positioned himself on the lowest limb to sleep. _'This was nice, and she did like me touching her. I wonder if she has other stars to look for,'_ his thoughts comforted him as he drifted off to sleep under the stars.


End file.
